‘John Wick’ & ‘Twilight’ TV Series To Be Shopped By Lionsgate Television
Lionsgate is expanding two of its biggest movie franchises, John Wick and Twilight, with new TV series offshoots. The company’s Vice Chairman Michael Burns shared information about the two projects during a Q&A at the Morgan Stanley media conference.
“We’re going to go out with the Twilight series, an animated series, I think there’ll be a lot of interest in that,” he said, adding about John Wick, “I think we’ll take one of our great action franchises starring Keanu Reeves, I think it’ll be a television series.”
This is the same Twilight series, news of which leaked last April as being in early development at Lionsgate. According to sources, the project had been envisioned as animated from the get-go.
The new John Wick series, confirmed by Deadline, comes on the heels of prequel The Continental, which consisted of three one-and-a-half-hour movies.
“We ended up making a very relatively short-term deal on that show with Peacock and Amazon,” Burns said about the three-part event, which debuted in October as Peacock’s top original launch of 2023.
The Twilight films based on Stephanie Meyer books, which ended in 2012 with Breaking Dawn: Part 2, grossed more than $3.4B globally and launched the careers of its stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner.
The four John Wick movies to date, headlined by Reeves, have made more than $1B at the global boxoffice.
Jill Goldsmith contributed to this report.
The expansion of these franchises into television signifies Lionsgate’s commitment to leveraging its existing intellectual properties to tap into different segments of the entertainment market. For viewers, this move offers an opportunity to dive deeper into the worlds of John Wick and Twilight, exploring new stories and characters that build upon the foundations laid by the films. As the television landscape continues to evolve, Lionsgate’s foray into series adaptations of its blockbuster franchises could set a precedent for how film studios adapt and thrive in the streaming era.
As Lionsgate charts a new course with these beloved franchises, the anticipation among fans and industry observers alike is palpable. With the potential to redefine how cinematic universes are expanded upon and consumed, the upcoming Twilight animated series and John Wick TV series are not just a testament to the enduring appeal of these stories but also to the innovative spirit driving Lionsgate forward. Only time will tell how these series will resonate with audiences, but if the past success of their film pieces is any indication, Lionsgate may have yet another set of hits on its hands.
